1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a novel pallet, and more specifically to a novel, recyclable corrugated pallet with a novel core, and a pallet locking method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Wooden pallets are well-known in the art and represent the standard in domestic and foreign pallet use. The use of wooden pallets has, however, a number of disadvantages. Wooden pallets are typically produced from hardwood, a source that is not renewable within a human lifetime. Many hardwood trees take as much as 250 to 500 years to grow to a point where the consumed wood is replaced. Thus, the use of wooden pallets represents a substantial use of limited resources, and is not an environmentally sound use of these resources. Wooden pallets are also heavy and unwieldy, thereby presenting a danger in the workplace.
Corrugated pallets have existed in the art for around 50 years, though they have been produced primarily for the export market rather than for domestic use. Such pallets are typically of poor construction and designed only for a single use—that of supporting exported goods. Existing corrugated pallets will not stand up to side deflection from pallet jacks or forklifts, and often collapse from the weight of product placed thereon. Also, although use of corrugated pallets represents an environmentally-sound alternative to wood, the disadvantages of such pallets have resulted in the failure of the marketplace to adopt their use in any significant number.
What is needed, therefore, is a corrugated pallet that is designed to support heavy loads, resist side deflection, and withstand multiple uses so that it can serve as an effective replacement for the traditional wooden pallet. Further, there is a need for such a pallet that is entirely recyclable and constructed entirely from post-consumer waste.